Electric-lamp socket-casing.



H. J MOREY.

ELECTRlC LAMP SOCKET CASING.

APPLICAHON FILED JAN, 15. 111KB 1,289,230. Patented 1m. :51, 1915.

J I i a Z25 Z lUTED fiTATEfi AENT FFTQE.

HARRY J'. MOBEY, OF SYRACUSELNEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PASS & SEYMOUR, INCL, OF

SOLVAY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ELECTRIC-LAMP SOCKET-CASING.

Application filed January 8, 1916. Serial N 0. 71,031.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRF J. Money, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Syracuse, Onondaga county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Lamp Socket-Casings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric lamp socket casings and more particularly to a casing of this character in which the tubular body as well as the cap consist of insulating material such as porcelain and in which a novel means is provided for detachably connecting the cap and shell together.

The objects and novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a socket casing embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the cap and shell pulled apart and showing the construction of the interlocking devices therein;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the cap taken in a plane at right angles to the section of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a part of another socket casing embodying my invention, parts thereof being broken away to show the manner in which the cap is locked to the body; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of the tubular part of the casing shown in Fig. 5, showing the construction and arrangement of the locking fingers on the same.

Referring to the drawing, the shell comprises a tubular body part 10 and a cap part 11, both of which are of insulating material such as porcelain. The body part 10 is open at both ends and near its lower end it has a circumferential groove 12 adapted to receive a part of a shade holder. The upper end of the body 10 is provided with two exterior circumferential shoulders 13 and 14 which are within the outer margin ofthe main portion of the body 10. The interior of the body has suitabledepressions 15 and 16 to permit the line wires to be led to the terminal posts of the socket member (not shown) which is fitted into the tubular body 10 and has its top disposed level with the top edge 17 of the body 10. The body 10 has a recess 18 which extends from the top edge 17 down longitudinally of the body and is designed to receive the guide 19 through which the pull chain 20 passes.

Two countersunk recesses 21 and 22 are located on diametrically opposite sides of the interior of the body 10 and extend upwardly and terminate in the outwardly extending openings 23 and 24 respectively. The openings 23 and 24 have the lower edges thereof located substantially at the level of the shoulder 13 and are open at the upper edge 17 of the body 10. The lower ends of two spring fingers 25, 25 terminate in the recesses 21 and 22 and at their upper free ends the said fingers are and 24. The upper end of the outwardly facing ends of the spring fingers 25 are curved and have locking tongues 26 punched outwardly therefrom which are adapted to engage any one of the circular row of notches 27 in the ring 28 carried by the cap member 11. The lower ends of the spring fingers 25 are secured in the recesses 21 and 22 by means of screws 251 which pass through openings 252 in the body 10. The openings 252 consist of portions of different diameters to form the shoulders253 against which the head of the screw 251 rests to clamp the spring finger 25 to the body 10. The hole 252 is filled. with suitable insulating material 254 to conceal the screw.

The ring 28 has two upwardly and inwardly extending integral lugs 29 which are secured tothe insulating wall 30 of the cap by means of suitable fastening devices 31. The ring 28 is disposed at the lower edge of the cap inside the depending rim 32. As will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2 the rim '32 and the ring 28, when the parts are fitted together, telescope over the upper end of the cylindrical body 10, the rim 32 almost concealing the openings 23 and 24 and fitting against the top of the chain guide 19 to hold the same in place in the opening 18. The openings 23 and 24 are'however left sufliciently open to admit an instru- -ment such as a screw-driver or knife blade by means of which one or both of the resilient upper ends of the spring fingers 25 'row of notches 27 in the ring 28 it is not necessary to exactly position the cap but it will be evident that the cap and body may be fitted together in any one of many relative positions rotarily, since the locking tongues 26 will fit into any one of the notches 27. When it is desired -to remove the cap, it is usually only necessary to press inwardly one. of thespring fingers to release its locking tongue 26, as the cap may then be turned about the other locking tongue and then released. The tongues 26 pass over the bottom edges of the notches 27 and firmly lock the parts together so that a pull longitudinally or a rotative twist will not disengage the cap and body.

The wall 30 of the cap has a central opening 34 through which the circuit wires enter.

The top of the cap has a metal cover 35 which carries a threaded nipple 36 and which is secured to the wall 30 by lugs 37 engaged by screws 38 passing through the wall 30. The nipple 36 is adapted to be turned onto a support such as a fixture arm and secured thereto by a set-screw 40. The wall 30 completely insulates the cover 36 from the metal ring 28. After the nipple 36 on the cap 11 has been secured onto the fixture the body 10 may be fitted thereto by slipping the upper end of the body into the open end of the cap without regard to the particular position of the spring fingers.

Figs. 5 and 6 show parts, of a casing embodying another type of locking finger. The other portions of the casing are in all respects the same as the casing shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The porcelain cap part 11 of Fig. 5 is provided with the notched metalring 28 on the inside near the lower edge thereof and with a' threaded metal nipple 36' at the top thereof, the ring and nipple being insulated from each other by the porcelain cap 11. The porcelain tubular body 10 is provided with the recess 18 to receive the shank of the chain guide, or a switch spindle to which a key may be attached. As in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 especially, the body 10 of Fig. 6 is provided with recesses 21 and 22 on opposite sides of the inner wall thereof to receive the lower ends of the locking fingers 40 which are of resilient metal and extend upwardly toward the top edge of the body 10. The

portions of the locking fingers disposed in the recesses 21 and 22 are fiat and the fingers are bent outwardly at the openings 23 and 24 and then upwardly. It will be seen that the aasaaeo extreme upper ends of the spring 25 as well as the extreme upper ends of the spring fingers 40 are bent inwardly a slight amount for the purpose of guiding the upper end of the tubular body 10 into the cap when the parts are telescoped together. The upper end of the spring fingers 40 have wings 41 on opposite sides thereof which are bent outwardl to form outwardly extending lips capab e of engaging the notches 27 in the metal ring 28 of the cap. The wings 41, 41 of each spring locking finger are spaced apart so that they cannot therefore very readily engage in the same notch 27 but the distance between them'is suificient so that they will engage in adjacent notches when the parts are fitted together as is shown in Fig. 5. the wings 41, 41 are cut at right angles to the longitudinal center line of the spring hnger 40 so that they will have engagement with the lower edges of the notches in the ring 28. The spring fingers 40 are necked slightly as at 42 adjacent the lower edges 411 to provide a greater length for said edges. The spring fingers 40 are secured to the body 10 in the same manner as the spring fingers 25 of Fig. 2. When the upper end. of the body cap 11, the outwardly extending wings or lips snap into the notches 27 and when it is desired to separate the cap and body either or both of the spring be pressed inwardly in the same manner as shown in Fig. 2 to push the lips 41 out of engagement with the notches of the ring 28.

The method of locking the porcelain cap to the porcelain body may be embodied in key and keyless sockets as well as in the pull chain form shown in the drawing, and other changes within the scope of the claims may be made without departing from-the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimedis: I I

1 An electric lamp socket casing eomprising a tubular insulating body part having resilient inwardly pressible locking fingers secured to one end thereof, said fingers having outwardly extending lips, said casing having an openin therein opposite the end of one of said ngers through which an instrument may be inserted to press said finger inwardly out of locking engagement, an insulating cap part adapted to telescope over the end of said body having the fingers thereon, a metal ring inside said cap and provided with a circular series of openings adapted to receive the lips on said fingers to releasably lock said parts together, and a: metal screw nipple secured to the top of said insulating cap.

2. An electric lamp socket casing comprising a tubular body part having an opening therein, a resilient locking member se- 10 is telescoped into the fingers may 4 cured to said body and having a portion thereof disposed opposite said opening, the extreme upper end of said member being turned inwardly toward the interior of the body, and an outwardly extending projection on said resilient member below the upper end thereof, a cap provided with a portion adapted to receive the projection on said resilent member to secure said body and cap together, the arrangement being such that an instrument may be inserted through said opening in said body to press the projection inwardly out of locking engagement with the cap.

3. An electric lamp socket casing comprising a tubular porcelain body having openings extending through the wall of the body, resilient locking members secured to a said body and having portions thereof disposed opposite said openings, the extreme upper ends of said members being turned inwardly, and outwardly extending projections on said locking members below the upper ends thereof, a porcelain capprovided with a notched part into which the projections on said locking members are adapted to automatically snap, the arrangement being such that an instrument may be inserted through either of said openings to press one of said resilient locking members inwardly out of locking engagement with the cap.

4. An electric lamp socket casing having a socket inclosing shell consisting principally of insulating material and comprising a tubular body part consisting of insulating material having openings therein adjacent theupper edge thereof, spring fingers secured to the inner'side of said body and having upper free ends provided with parts disposed opposite said openings and adapted to be manipulated to be moved a limited distance inwardly independently of the insulating body, said fingers having outwardly extending projections adjacent their upper ends, and a cap having an insulating portion adapted to telescope over the upper end of the body and a ring inside of the insulating cap portion provided with openings adapted to receive the projections on said fingers to releasably lock said cap and body together.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY J. MOREY. 

